At 10:01 AM 4/7/02, Julia wrote: >"J. van Baardwijk" wrote: > > > > At 23:30 5-4-02 -0600, Julia Thompson wrote: > > > > > > And after years of the above at home (after which the phone company > redrew > > > > their districts and changed our number), I got my commission and > became an > > > > engineer working on flight test in the Air Force. I had several phone > > > > lines that went through the secretary, and one which went directly > to my > > > > desk: extension 3303. The appointment desk at the base hospital had > > > > extension 3033 . . . > > > > > >You win. :) > > > > > >Unless someone else wants to try to top that. I certainly can't. > > > > Maybe I can. How about getting a phone number that used to belonge to > > someone else? > > > > When I moved to Eindhoven and applied for a phone line, I was given a > > telephone number that used to be the phone number of a computer store (that > > computer store still exists, BTW). At first, I would be called at least > > three or four times per week by people who wanted prices quotes, have their > > computer repaired, etcetera. The number of calls gradually decreased over > > time, but it took almost two years before they stopped altogether. > > > > Usually when someone changes his phone number, the old number is not > > re-issued for one or two years. So either KPN Telecom screwed up bigtime, > > or those callers still had the old phone number somewhere on file (as the > > store was listed with the correct number in the phonebook). > > > > Anyone want to top *that*? > >Is that any worse than the phone company mis-printing a phone number so >I got calls from people wanting an auto repair shop (3 times a day, at >minimum)?
Oh, that reminds me: my current number begins with the prefix "956-". A couple of years ago, the coach of a local tennis club sent out fliers to those interested in playing. His number began with "951-", but otherwise was the same as mine. Of course, the fliers were all misprinted with a "6" where the "1" should have been . . . >I just think that Ronn's story tops everything I've heard so far, except >for maybe Dan's story about the body shop. > >Oh, and our phone number *did* belong to someone else, but we didn't get >very many calls for him, and the people calling for him tended to be >really nice. Once I got his new number, I gave that out to the folks >calling for him, cheerfully, and they all thanked me very much. I did the same. Some people seemed amazed when I returned their rather urgent-sounding messages left on my machine for the coach or someone in his family to give them the correct number. >(We >didn't call back the guy who was calling long-distance from outside the >country and who left a message on our machine�, though.) IIRC, none of the long-distance calls I got from someone seeking someone else were from out of the country. I thought of adding a notice giving the correct number for the tennis players to the message on my machine, but figured no one would listen to such a long message, even if my machine would have held it all . . . BTW, the only similar thing that happened to me while I was living in Utah was when I rented a P.O. box and for a few months got some mail addressed to (presumably) the person who used to have that box, including some computer/high-tech catalogs (which I could use) and some catalogs for . . . ahem . . . "adult-oriented materials", which I tossed . . . _____ �While we're on the topic, has anyone else on the list had the experience of coming home, pressing the button to listen to any incoming messages on their machine, and hearing a recording of one of those pre-recorded telemarketing pitches that their machine played into my machine? How about when the pitch kept instructing you to press a certain key to reply? -- Ronn! :) God bless America, Land that I love! Stand beside her, and guide her Thru the night with a light from above. From the mountains, to the prairies, To the oceans, white with foam� God bless America! My home, sweet home. -- Irving Berlin (1888-1989)
